Chapter Twenty- Three
Three days have passed, and Victor has been excelling at his lessons.
He shoots water out of his hands by using the moisture in the air.
Victor creates impressively high waves in the lake, higher than Chiyo anticipated.
He conjures water bubbles and makes them dance around while one of Chiyo’s geishas plays the koto.
What was most impressive was when he created a dragon out of the lake and made it fly around, combining Air Magic to make clouds emerge from the dragon’s mouth for more dramatic effects.
Chiyo is very pleased with Victor’s progress. “Karl mentioned you were a quick study, but I must say, you’re almost a natural with Water Magic for being an air sign.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m an Aqueerius,” Victor responds.
Chiyo tilts her head to the side, “Aqueerius?”
Victor stops and laughs, “Aquarius. But because I’m gay, I say Aqueerius.”
Chiyo busts out laughing, “OH MY GODDESS! That is hilarious!”
After some good laughing to help calm the energy, Victor goes back to his lessons.
As he goes through a routine of attacks, Leo sits off to the side, playing Riichi Mahjong with a few geishas.
Of course, money is involved, and Leo isn’t happy he’s losing.
When Leo thinks he will win, a basketball-sized water ball drops close to them, splashing everywhere.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” Leo shouts.
Victor has a frightened look. “Sorry about that!”
Leo stands up and uses his Fire Magic to dry himself off. “This is dry clean only, remember. Do you want Clarence’s wrath to fall down upon you?” Victor looks more frightened by Leo’s remark.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so advanced for not knowing magic,” Chiyo states, bringing Victor’s attention back to her.
“Thank you?” Victor questions whether her comment was a compliment or an insult.
“I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I think you’re ready to learn how to freeze the water using Air Magic.” She holds out her palm and creates a ball of water. Within seconds, it freezes and drops into her hand. She holds it out and drops it into Victor’s hand.
Victor holds the frozen ball up and examines it. “Karl did something like this when he offered me water. He froze half the ball to make a cup so I could drink from it.”
“Who do you think taught him that trick?” Chiyo takes the ice ball from Victor and tosses it into the water. She then creates another ball of water in her palm. “Let’s start small. Create a ball in your palm.”
Victor holds out his hand and creates a ball hovering over his palm.
Chiyo nods, “Good. Now, I want you to concentrate on the air around it. Make the air move rapidly around the sphere. The faster you move the air, the colder the air will get.”
Leo lets out a disgruntled groan as he loses the rest of his money to the geishas. He looks over to see what Victor is up to, then gets up from the table. He brushes off his slacks as he walks over to stand next to Chiyo.
Victor concentrates and watches the air moving around the water. As he begins to focus, his eyes begin to glow blue this time.
When Leo steps up to Chiyo, he notices Victor’s eyes. “Well, that’s new,” Leo comments.
“Didn’t you mention that his eyes did this before?” Chiyo asks Leo.
“Yes, but they were white last time. Now they’re blue,” Leo replies.
Victor isn’t paying attention to them and remains focused on controlling two specialties simultaneously. A very thin layer of ice forms on top of the water. He begins to feel tired, and the water ball drops to the ground, sighing disappointedly. “I’m sorry, Chiyo.”
“It’s okay, my young empath warlock. Let’s take a small break.” Chiyo claps her hands twice, and the geishas set tea on the table. They walk over to the table and sit on the floor cushion.
“I am very impressed with you today,” Chiyo says to Victor as she pours tea for them. “I thought I would have to spend more time with you, but I think we might be ready for your test.”
Victor looks up, “Does ‘test’ mean battle?”
Chiyo smiles while pouring, “That’s correct, my young empath warlock.”
Leo leans back while resting one arm on his raised knee. “But this time, you’re fighting a girl.”
Victor looks over at Chiyo, “I’m fighting you?”
Chiyo lifts her cup and looks over the rim, smiling ever so slyly. “That’s right, along with my geishas.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m going to fight three of you?” Victor proclaims. “How is that even fair? I barely know how to fight using magic.”
One of the geishas places a small tray of tiny Japanese treats to accompany the tea.
Leo reaches for a treat and pops it in his mouth.
“Fighting is never fair. You must be ready for whatever comes your way, especially if people are after you. This will be good practice for you to defend yourself from multiple attackers.”
Victor slumps with disapproval. “I’m not going to like this.”
Chiyo sips her tea and looks at Victor, “May I ask you something, my young empath warlock?”
“Sure,” Victor agrees as he selects one of the chocolates off the tray.
“How do you make your eyes glow?” Chiyo asks with genuine curiosity.
Victor shrugs his shoulders as he sips his tea. “I honestly don’t know. Apparently, it just happens. But I can’t feel it happening, nor can I see it. To you, it looks like my eyes are covered in white, but to me, I can see perfectly with no obstructions.”
“Blue this time,” Leo comments as he pops a treat into his mouth.
Victor gives Leo a puzzled look, “Did you just say blue?”
“He did. It happened when you were concentrating on freezing the water in your hand,” Chiyo answers.
Victor puckers his lips as he thinks out loud, “Maybe the color of the glow represents the magic I’m trying to focus on.”
Leo and Chiyo look lost.
Victor notices and sits upright. “I can see you two have no idea what I’m saying.
Let me try to explain. What if each specialty has a color associated with it?
My eyes were white when I was working on Air Magic.
And just now, you say my eyes were blue, and I was working on Water Magic.
It might mean my eyes glow green or brown when I focus on Earth.
And with Fire, my eyes will glow red, orange, or yellow. ”
Leo scratches at his stubble, thinking about Victor’s explanation. “It sounds plausible. We can ask Superior Charles about that. He did mention he saw your grandmother’s eyes glowing once before. Maybe he can confirm your theory.”
Chiyo claps her hands twice, signaling her geisha to clear the table and take everything away. “Okay, break time is over. Victor, get ready.”
Victor gives Chiyo a cheesy smile. “Awww, that was the first time in three days you didn’t call me ‘young empath warlock.’”
Chiyo stands up and smooths out her kimono. “And if you want to continue that respect, you better win the fight.”
Victor cocks an eyebrow. “Challenge accepted.”
Leo helps Victor up from the ground and then assists him in putting on his jacket.
Leo brushes Victor’s shoulders with his hands as he whispers in Victor’s ear, “Be careful with the geisha in the dark green. She’s a clever little witch.
” Victor looks over at the two geishas who are joining Chiyo.
He spots the one wearing a dark green kimono, and the other is wearing a deep pink kimono.
He turns Victor around to help straighten his tie and smooth down the jacket’s lapels. “Try not to use Water Magic all the time. Do your best to combine both Air and Water in your attacks. You’ll see why people of magic always make sure they have more than one specialty in their arsenal.”
Victor nods.
As Victor heads to the center of the courtyard, the two geishas build a dome of water.
The waves in the water sparkle like koi swimming around as the sunlight hits the ripples.
Victor and Chiyo, with her geisha, take their positions on opposite sides of the dome.
The geisha turn their backs toward Victor.
A few seconds later, they turn back around.
Their faces are no longer covered in white paint. Their faces are painted as kabuki.
Their delicate, feminine features have transformed into bold, exaggerated lines of red, blue, and black.
The first geisha in dark green has a fierce, stern glare, outlining her face with thick, angry blue streaks to embody a vengeful spirit.
Meanwhile, the face of the geisha adorned in deep pink is painted with vivid red lines on her cheeks and eyes, transforming her serene expression into the passionate, powerful visage of a hero.
“Okay, you have to show me how to do that trick when this is over,” Victor comments.
Chiyo lifts her arm and hides her face behind her kimono sleeve.
A second later, her face is also painted in a kabuki style.
Crimson lines fracture across Chiyo’s face, transforming her delicate features into the kumadori makeup of a kabuki hero.
The delicate red of her lips is overtaken by thick, dramatic strokes that accentuate her musculature, creating an illusion of intense strength and powerful emotion.
A striking gesture, a look of bold courage replaces her once placid expression; her eyes now burn with the theatrical intensity of a warrior ready for battle.
Chiyo responds to him in Japanese, “If you win this fight, I might think about it.”
Just as the dome closes at the top, Leo flings a small blue fireball over and through the closing hole.
Before it hits the ground, it explodes, signaling to fight—the two geisha charge while shouting a battle cry.
Chiyo does not move from where she is standing.
Victor looks between the two of them as they head right for him.
When they are close enough, he lifts his hands over his head, using the air beneath their feet to hurl them backward.